Clothes washing machine



Jan. 28, 1958 J. A. cAsT RICQNE 2,321,075

CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE Filed Nov. 27, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet v1.

INVENTOR 1 0/272 A. @asfrjcm ze ATTORNEY i 195% a. A. CASTRIGQNE 2,821,076

CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 27, 1953 INVENTOR Easjmton ATTORNEY United States Patent CLOTHES WASHING MACHINE John A. Castricone, Peoria, 111., assignor to Altorfer Bros. Company, Peoria, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Application November 27, 1953, Serial No. 394,674

Claims. (Cl. 68-131) This invention relates to improvements in clothes washing machines, and more particularly to means for preventing articles of clothing from getting under the lower edge of a dasher operatively mounted in the bottom of a washing tub.

In washing machines of the type in which a dasher is mounted for orbital movement relative to the tub, moving in an orbit around the axis of a main drive shaft, the lower edge of the dasher is above the bottom of the'tub. It has been customary heretofore to provide a yieldable or flexible sealing ring on the lower edge of the dasher and depending therefrom to the bottom of the tub to seal the space therebetween against the entrance of articles of clothing into the skirt portion of the dasher.

One object of this invention is to improve the sealing means between the skirt portion of the dasher and the bottom of the tub.

Another object of the invention is to provide for the eifective exclusion of articles of clothing from the space beneath and within the skirt portion of the dasher and between the latter and the bottom of the tub.

A further object of this invention is to provide a sealing ring fixed to the bottom of the tub and telescoped into the skirt portion of the dasher in relation thereto so as to provide for an expressing action or outward pump effect on the water at the lower edge of the dasher, thus creating an outward force, during operation of the dasher, which will exclude articles of clothing therefrom.

These objects may be accomplished, according to one embodiment of the invention, by mounting the sealing ring at the bottom of the tub, connected with the drive shaft about which the dasher moves in an orbit. The skirt portion of the dasher telescopes over the sealing ring and is raised above the bottom of the tub, cooperating therewith to prevent the entrance of articles of clothing therebetween. If any articles should float into this space when the dasher is not operating, they will be expelled by the outward force of the water caused by the operation of the dasher.

This embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical section through the tub and dasher, showing the invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a horizontal section therethrough, on the line 2 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the dasher, showing the action thereof relative to the sealing ring; and

Fig. 4 is a detailed vertical section of the sealing ring structure, on an enlarged scale.

The invention is shown in connection with a clothes washing machine of the type in which a stationary casing is provided with a chamber in which a tub, generally designated at 1, is mounted. The clothes are placed in the tub 1 for washing, and after washing, the water is extracted from the clothes by spinning of the tub 1, the water being discharged from the tub 1 into the chamber of the casing.

The tub I is provided with a bottom 2 with an enlarged ice center opening, and has a drive shaft 3 extending into the tub at the center thereof. A tubular shaft 4 is sleeved over the drive shaft 3 for rotating the tub 1 during spinning.

The bottom 2 of the tub I is mounted on a center disk 5, shown as a casting, which disk 5, in turn, is fixed in any suitable manner on the tubular shaft 4 to operate therewith. The periphery of the disk 5 underlies the inner edge of the tub bottom 2 and is secured thereto by screw fastenings 6 spaced at intervals around the periphery of the disk 5.

The drive shaft 3 has a crank pin 7 secured rigidly to the upper end thereof to move bodily around the axis of the drive shaft upon rotation of the latter. Journaled on the crank pin 7 is a head 8, which is provided with a sleeve portion 9, supported by a ball 10 seated on the upper end of the crank pin 7. The sleeve portion 9 is secured by screws 22 to the head 8. A connecting rod 11 extends upwardly from the sleeve portion 9 for guiding and holding in place the upper end of the dasher.

Surrounding the head 3 is a flexible and yieldable boot 12, the upper end of which is sleeved over the head 8 and is secured thereto by a clamp 13. The lower end of the boot 12 is sleeved over a flange 14 on the disk or casting 5 and is secured thereto by a clamp 15.

The tubular shaft 4 is held stationary during the washing operation, as also the disk 5 that is fixed thereto. The boot 12, which is clamped to both the disk 5 and to the head 8, will hold the latter and the dasher, which is secured to the head 8, against rotation on the axis of the crank pin 7, while moving through an orbit around the axis of the drive shaft 3.

The dasher is designated generally by the numeral 16. The dasher 16 comprises a somewhat conical hollow body with a reduced upper end portion 17, having outwardly stepped portions 18, and terminating in a depending skirt portion 19. The latter preferably is spaced at its lower edge an appreciable distance above the bottom 2 of the tub.

The dasher 16 is provided with radial fins 20 extending upwardly along the conical wall thereof and spaced apart circumferentially. At least some of the fins 20 are provided with flexible yieldable vanes 21 thereon to facilitate the distribution of the clothes around the dasher in the tub. The body of the dasher 16 is also provided with perforations 20' therein between the fins 20 and in the stepped portions 18 to provide water jets in response to the orbital movement of the dasher, acting on the clothes and cooperating with the dasher not only to distribute the clothes but also to obtain a toroidal washing action in an elfective manner.

The dasher 16 is telescoped over the head 8, and is detachably and operatively connected therewith by pins 22. The upper end portion 17 of the dasher is secured to the connecting rod 11, by means of a suitable fastening 23.

A sealing ring 24 is provided at the lower edge of the dasher 16. The sealing ring 24 preferably is formed of resilient material, such as rubber, but any suitable material, including metal, may be used therefor, as desired.

The sealing ring 24 is cylindrical, extending about the axis of the drive shaft 3 concentric therewith, and is telescoped into the skirt portion 19 of the dasher, which latter is eccentric of the drive shaft 3, being concentric with the crank shaft 7. The sealing ring 24 has an inturned flange 25 on the lower edge thereof seated upon the periphery of the disk 5 and secured thereto by the screw fastenings 6. A Washer 26 is shown as seated on the flange 25, under the head of each screw fastening 6, to aid in holding the sealing ring in place.

If desired, the sealing ring 24 may be provided with one or more circumferentially extending ribs 27 projecting outwardly toward the surrounding skirt portion 19, to prevent articles of clothing from floating up in the space therebetween when the dasher is at rest.

During washing, the dasher moves bodily in an orbit about the axis of the drive shaft 3 as the latter is rotated. The sealing ring 24 being stationary in the tub, and telescoped' with the skirtportion 19 of the dasher, will coact therewith during such orbital movement to cause an outward pump action on the water in the bottom portion of the tub and below the lower edge of the dasher. This isindicated generally by the arrows in Fig. 3. The water will be expressed by the orbital movement of the dasher relative to the stationary sealing ring, and this outward fiow will tend to express any articles of clothing that may reach positions adjacent the lower edge of the dasher.

This washing operation is substantially the same as was set forth in my Patent No. 2,416,611, granted February 25, 1947.

When the dasher is not operating, small articles may 'fioat under the lower edge of the dasher and between the latter and the sealing ring 24. At such time, the ribs 27, if used, will tend to prevent such articles from floating up past the sealing ring. Moreover, the pump effect mentioned will act to express the articles therefrom when the dasher is started.

In this way, small articles are eifectively prevented from being caught under the dasher, and are ejected therefrom if they should find their way into such space when the dasher is stationary. This is accomplished without the use of a ring on the lower edge of the dasher, and thereby provides a more eifective seal in a simple manner.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in one embodiment, it is recognized that variations and changes may be made therein without departing from the invention as set forth in the claims.

I claim:

1. In a clothes washing machine the combination of a tub; a hollow perforated dasher having a dependent skirt portion spaced an appreciable distance above the bottom of the tub, means for moving the dasher in an orbital path to effect a washing action, and means including an upstanding ring inside the skirt portion and eccentrically located relative to the skirt portion for creating an outward pumping action between adjacent portions of the dasher and the tub for directing articles of clothing away from the space therebetween.

2. In a clothes Washing machine the combination of a tub, a hollow perforated dasher having a dependent skirt portion spaced an appreciable distance above the bottom of the tub, means for moving the dasher in an orbital path to' effect a washing action, and means including, an upstanding ring secured to the bottom of the tub inside the skirt portion in eccentric relation to the skirt portion for creating an outward pumping action between adjacent portions of the dasher and the tub for directing articles of clothing away from the space therebetween.

3. In a clothes washing machine the combination of a tub, a hollow perforated dasher having a dependent skirt portion spaced an appreciable distance above the bottom of the tub, means for moving the dasher in an orbital path to effect a washing action, and means including an upstanding resilient ring secured to the bottom of the tub inside the skirt portion and having an upper portion in eccentric spaced relation to the skirt portion for creating an outwardpumping action between adjacent portions of the dasher and the tub for directing articles of clothing away from the space therebetween.

4. In a clothes washing machine the combination of a tub, a hollow perforated dasher having a dependent skirt portion spaced an appreciable distance above the bottom of the tub, means for moving the dasher in an orbital path to eifect a washing action, and means including an upstanding ring inside the skirt portion and eccentrically located relative to the skirt portion for creating an out ward pumping action between adjacent portions of the dasher and the tub for directing articles of clothing away from the space therebetween, said ring having rib structure at its outer peripheral portion and facing the inside of the dasher.

5. In a clothes washing machine the combination of a tub, a hollow perforated dasher having a dependent skirt portion spaced an appreciable distance above the bottom of the tub, means including actuatable supporting means for the dasher located substantially centrally of the dasher for moving the dasher in an orbital path to efiect a washing action, a flexible sealing boot between the supporting a means and bottom of the tub, and means including an upstanding resilient ring inside the skirt portion of. a diameter somewhat less than that of said skirt portion and surrounding. the lower portion of said boot and eccentrically located relative to the skirt portion for creating an outward pumping action between adjacent portions of the dasher and the tub for directing articles of clothing away from the space therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,105,218 Kirby Jan. 11, 1938 2,299,495 Rocke Oct. 20, 1942 2,339,345 McCleary Jan. 18, 1944 2,416,611 Castricone Feb. 25, 1947 2,645,109 Smith July 14, 1953 2,645,111 Fields July 14, 1953 

